On the Navajo Nation, the groundwater is the source of drinking water for 99 percent of the population that is served by a public water system. Groundwater is used for raising livestock, agriculture, and industry. In the arid southwest, groundwater is a particular important resource because of the scarcity of surface water. Although groundwater was once thought to be protected by layers of rocks and soil. It is known that groundwater is vulnerable to many types of contamination. Groundwater Under the Direct Influence (GWUDI) of surface water are by default vulnerable to all types of contamination. Contaminants can enter source waters from animal rangelands, illegal open dumps, waste storage lagoons, sewage and septic systems. Source waters can also be contaminated by chemical spills, open well casings, abandoned wells, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, animal waste, and other sources. Community drinking water systems are at risk from many possible contamination sources and no community wants to face the loss of its drinking water.

As defined by the EPA, the Source Water Protection Area (SWPA) is the surface and subsurface area surrounding the well, wellfield, springs, or surface water through which contaminants are likely to move through and reach the source waters. There are four major components to the federally mandated SWAP program. The NNEPA-PWSSP is to ensure the following requirements have been met for each regulated public drinking water system:

3. Conduct a susceptibility assessment for each drinking water source.

4. Make the findings of 1-3 readily available to interested parties.

The NNEPA-PWSSP is in good position to comply with these requirements. The NNEPA-PWSSP has been assigned primacy for the federal drinking water program on the Navajo Nation. The NNEPA-PWSSP is responsible for implementing the SWAP requirements, including information dissemination.

The NNEPA-PWSSP's primary limitation in implementing SWAP requirements is the lack of disseminating the SWAP findings to interestedparties in a simple, user-friendly format. As a result, the NNEPA-PWSSP is currently in the development stages with using geographic information system (GIS) applications to manage, store, and distribute this information by generating a computerized map. The NNEPA-PWSSP is also planning to develop applications that will allow interested parties toaccess the SWAP information through a Internet Mapping application, making it "secure, yet available."

The NNEPA-PWSSP is utilizing existing programs to implement the SWAP requirements. The Existing programs which may yield successful implementation efforts include:

Wellhead Protection Program

Phase II/V Monitoring Waiver Program

Emergency Water Supply Program

Consumer Confidence Report Program

All public water systems' Source Water and Protection Plans will be described in report format within the following categories, each category equates to a chapter within the SWPP report: